Ah, the holidays, ‘tis that festive time of the year when we go from home to home, party to party schmoozing with family ‘n friends! ‘Tis a wonderful time until we suddenly realize an urge to host our own party and all the panic of planning and prepping sets in. Fear not! Here are several holiday entertaining tips ‘n tricks to save your sanity and your mani!

After you've come up with a plan (See Part 1 - Strategize), you'll want to consider using some of these clever decorative decoys to help your home look clean and organized enough.

Tip 1. Put out flowers, puff pillows, light candles, put new family and friends photos (switch according to whom is coming) on central tables, ledges, etc. to keep eyes at eye-level and off dust and dust bunnies.

Tip 2. Hang pictures that have been lying in your basement over cracks, chips or peels in walls

Tip 3. Intersperse get well cards with holiday cards on mantel so can share that you haven’t been feeling all that well which is why house many not be as clean and tidy as usual

And, last but not least serve upon entry…

Tray of dirty martinis! Perfect entertaining elixir! Shake and serve one or simply serve a glass of bubbly and the entire house will look clean and all your food will taste fab!

Julie Edelman is a well-known multi-media lifestyle personality who shares easy; real life time, money, and energy saving tips that maintain our home, family and manicure. And, though her solutions cause Martha, Heloise and the handyman to cringe, she brings a sense of calm, humor and camaraderie to millions like her who live on what she lovingly calls Hysteria Lane. Julie appears regularly on the Today Show with Kathie Lee ‘n Hoda, Rachael Ray, Better TV and The Doctors. She is a New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental Housewife: How to Overcome Housekeeping Hysteria One Task at a Time and The Ultimate Accidental Housewife”–Your Guide to a Clean Enough House -a ‘must have’ home-keeping compendium. Julie contributes a weekly blog on RachaelRay.com; is the National Home-keeping Editor for Examiner.com: has a webisode series for Fox News Magazine and ‘spreads the glove’ on her site, www.juliestips.com .